Livia Catania, an executive engagement marketing manager with experience across EMEA, shares her journey from law and journalism to designing high-impact CxO programs. In this interview, she explores how trust, cultural nuance, and outcome-driven engagement help brands earn relevance, respect executive time, and build lasting C-suite relationships.

Welcome to the interview series, Livia. Could you tell us more about yourself and your journey as a marketer?

My path into marketing has taken a bit of a scenic route. When I was completing my education, back when graduation photos were captured on actual film (smartphones weren’t a thing yet), marketing wasn’t actually the destination I had in mind. I first graduated in Law and then pursued a Master’s in Journalism and New Media, fully expecting my career to follow those paths.

However, I’ve found this ‘unplanned’ start to be a significant advantage in such a dynamic field. My legal studies taught me how to extract critical information and master the art of synthesis, while journalism gave me the tools to read political and business landscapes.

Before transitioning into my current focus on executive engagement, I spent several formative years working at the heart of leadership teams for C-suite executives across very different landscapes, from the public sector in Italy and private equity in London to the travel tech industry.

These diverse experiences, before fully moving into the tech sector, shifted my focus from ‘what we want to say’ as a brand to ‘what leaders actually need to hear.’ Today, my goal is to bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and authentic relationship building.

How did you design the EMEA Field CxO program to stay relevant for senior executives, and what were the key challenges in scaling it while keeping a premium experience?

The design of the EMEA Field CxO program centered on elevating our engagement to a strategic partnership model. Working closely with our team of Chief Technical Advisors, we focused on building change agendas that bridge the gap between complex business challenges and IT solutions. To ensure relevance, I prioritised activities offering genuine peer-to-peer value and a strong personal connection, ensuring our conversations are always aligned with high-level business outcomes.

Scaling this while maintaining a premium, ‘white-glove’ experience involved a significant amount of heavy lifting. The goal was to create a standardised framework for our programs across EMEA to ensure consistent excellence, while still leaving room for the regional flavor that makes an engagement feel personal and locally relevant. By building this robust structure and aligning our cross-functional teams, we were able to ensure that the quality of engagement remained world-class, regardless of the territory or the specific local rules of engagement.

What are the most common mistakes you see brands make when trying to engage senior decision-makers?

The most frequent mistake is failing to respect an executive’s time. In the C-suite, time is the most precious currency, and respecting it goes far beyond just keeping a meeting short; it’s about the density of value you provide in those minutes.

Too often, brands ask leaders to sit through generic discovery calls or product-heavy pitches where the executive ends up doing the heavy lifting of educating the vendor. True respect for their time means doing the homework upfront. It means leading with a clear point of view on their specific business outcomes and industry macro-challenges, rather than expecting them to find the relevance in your features. If an executive leaves a meeting feeling like they’ve learned something new about their own landscape, you’ve respected their time.

Brands often lead with product features rather than business outcomes. Senior leaders aren’t looking for a vendor; they are looking for a long-term, trusted partner who understands their industry’s macro challenges. Another mistake is “one-and-done” engagement. Executive marketing is a long game; if you don’t have a sophisticated follow-up strategy to nurture that relationship, the initial investment is wasted.

Another common pitfall is overlooking the human side of the experience. Especially for physical events, we must think with empathy about every small detail that makes the experience smoother and more pleasant for an executive. From the moment they arrive to the moment they leave, the goal should be a seamless, high-value journey. My philosophy is to constantly raise the bar for every single engagement and never settle for good enough when you are dealing with the C-suite.

How does executive engagement differ across EMEA, and what should global teams be more mindful of?

EMEA is absolutely not a monolith, and having personally navigated the move from Rome to London, I’ve experienced firsthand that a cultural shift is about much more than just a change in geography; it’s a change in the ‘business language’ of trust.

In Southern Europe, for example, executive engagement is often deeply rooted in long-term relationship building and personal connection; trust is the prerequisite for the business conversation. In contrast, Northern European or UK markets often prioritise efficiency, directness, and immediate value-addition. Having lived and worked in both environments, I’ve learned that if you try to apply a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, you risk being seen as tone-deaf.

Global teams should be mindful that localisation isn’t just about translating a slide deck into another language; it’s about translating the approach. You have to understand the local business etiquette, the social norms, and the market maturity. My own journey of adapting to a new culture has made me a passionate advocate for this: you must meet executives where they are, both culturally and professionally.

“Brands often lead with product features rather than business outcomes… Senior leaders aren’t looking for a vendor; they are looking for a long-term, trusted partner.”

When running global campaigns, how do you make sure the brand stays consistent while still feeling locally relevant?

It’s about “Global Vision, Local Execution.” You must ensure that the core brand pillars and messaging are intact, but empower the regional teams to adapt the flavor. This might mean changing the format of an event or the specific industry use cases we highlight. By maintaining a consistent visual, messaging, and strategic identity but tailoring the delivery, we ensure the brand feels like a local partner with a global scale.

Could you tell us about your most memorable experience as a marketer?

If you want to test a marketer’s logistical limits, ask them to organize a high-end event for 100 C-level executives in Venice and then do it solo while eight months pregnant! Venice is a logistical puzzle where everything moves by boat and over bridges. The adventure peaked when our water taxi, loaded with event materials, was pulled over by the Carabinieri (Italian Police) for a random check. Picture me, eight months pregnant, negotiating with the police in the middle of a canal! Managing that event completely alone taught me that with enough planning and a positive mindset, you can pull off the impossible. After that, no marketing challenge feels too big!

How do you track ROI for executive-focused programs where influence matters as much as pipeline?

We look at a balance of both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ metrics. On the hard side, we track traditional indicators like pipeline generation and conversion rates. However, for the C-suite, influence is often the more critical metric.

To measure this, we look at factors like executive attendance retention, seeing if leaders return to our programs year after year, and ‘deal velocity’ within those specific accounts. If an executive engagement program helps shorten the sales cycle for a complex, high-value deal, that influence is just as measurable and impactful as a direct lead. Ultimately, it’s about proving that marketing isn’t just a cost center, but a strategic driver of the business.

What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to a marketer starting their career?

My biggest piece of advice is to be curious about the business, not just the marketing. You need to grasp the commercial realities of your organisation and the strategic pressures that shape your customers’ decision-making. When you align your work with these broader goals, your role shifts from executing campaigns to becoming a strategic partner and a genuine driver of growth for the business.

Beyond the strategy and the data, use empathy to truly step into the shoes of the executives you are serving, understanding their pressures and their world. In high-level engagement, trust is the only currency that matters. Marketing is a team sport, and building strong, cross-functional relationships based on integrity is what allows you to get things done.

Finally, always strive to be the person your customers trust and look forward to seeing at every engagement. If you treat every interaction with genuine care and professional excellence, you aren’t just building a brand, you’re building a lasting relationship.

About Livia Catania

Livia Catania is a tech marketing leader specialising in executive engagement across EMEA, helping global brands connect with C-suite decision-makers through strategic storytelling and tailored, high-impact experiences. With a background in law and journalism, she brings sharp analytical thinking and cultural insight to boardroom conversations. Having worked closely with senior leaders across the public sector, private equity, and travel tech, Livia focuses on translating complex technology into meaningful business outcomes built on trust.

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Aisling Purcell, Senior Marketing Manager, EMEA at Autodesk, shares how she leads integrated B2B marketing in complex, global markets. In this conversation, she explores aligning brand and demand, driving pipeline through collaboration, balancing creativity with analytics, and using customer advocacy to build trust and long-term growth across the construction technology landscape.

Welcome to the interview series, Aisling. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as a marketer?

Of course! I started in communications, working across messaging, content, and stakeholder engagement. That gave me a solid foundation in translating complex ideas into something clear and actionable. From there, I moved into B2B marketing and have spent the past few years specialising in the architecture, engineering, and construction space.

My career has shifted from hands-on execution to leading teams and integrated programmes. Now I lead EMEA marketing for Autodesk’s construction products, where I’m responsible for demand generation, account-based marketing (ABM), content, events, and regional strategy across multiple markets. The role means working closely with sales and global teams to make sure marketing is driving both pipeline and long-term growth.

What does strong cross-functional collaboration look like when marketing works closely with leadership, sales, and operations?

It starts with everyone agreeing on what we’re trying to achieve, so there’s a shared goal we’re all working towards. Marketing can’t work in a bubble, so spending time upfront making sure leadership, sales, and business development teams are all aligned on what success means is key.

At Autodesk, that means working closely with sales on ABM programs, partnering with customer success on customer stories and advocacy, and sitting down with business development to understand how leads move through the funnel to create opportunities. Regular check-ins and shared dashboards help, but ensuring teams feel like partners creates real momentum.

How do you strike the right balance between creativity and analytics when shaping content and growth strategies?

I don’t see them as opposites—they feed each other. Creativity means we’re showing up in the market with content that gets attention and makes people care. Data tells you if it’s actually working.

For example, we might take a customer insight or story that feels compelling, then track how it performs: engagement, time on page, and conversions. If it resonates, we do more of it. If it doesn’t, we figure out why and adjust. The goal is always to create content that feels human and delivers results, not just create content for the sake of it.

Which metrics matter most to you when evaluating whether a content or integrated marketing campaign is truly resonating?

Firstly, I’ll say the metrics that matter most will differ depending on what you’re trying to achieve.  I tend to focus on both early signals and results. Early on, I’m watching engagement: click-through rates, downloads, and webinar sign-ups. Later in the journey, it’s about MQL to SQL conversion, marketing-influenced pipeline, and ultimately closed-won deals.

For brand campaigns, I try to track share of voice and whether our messages are sticking. But really, I ask myself: did this build confidence with buyers and customers? Did it help us increase visibility in the market? And ultimately, did it move the business forward?

“Marketing can’t work in a bubble, so spending time upfront making sure leadership, sales, and business development teams are all aligned on what success means is key.”

As a marketer, how do you balance long-term brand building with the pressure to deliver near-term pipeline and revenue impact?

I think brand and demand aren’t necessarily at odds with each other. In B2B marketing, when you have especially complex sales cycles, trust speeds everything up.

We run integrated campaigns where thought leadership builds credibility early on, and targeted activity with customer proof points drives pipeline in key accounts. When you map everything properly to the buyer journey, I believe you can build both brand affiliation and hit your numbers at the same time.

What role does customer advocacy play in building trust in the often complex world of technology?

Customer advocacy helps you to build trust and influence in your market. And I’d say when it comes to B2B marketing, and especially in the tech space, prospects trust their peers way more than they trust us. I also find this particularly true in construction, where decisions have real risk attached.

We focus on showing how actual customers are using our tools to solve everyday challenges. Those stories provide proof, not just promises, and they show the art of the possible. Customer advocacy also keeps us honest internally. It reminds the whole team—strategy, brand, product—what actually matters to the people using what we build.

What advice would you give to marketers who aspire to move into strategic or global leadership roles?

Stay curious and stay close to the business. Understanding how your work impacts the bottom line, where the market is headed, and what the company is trying to achieve is essential for any leadership role.

But don’t underestimate soft skills either. Leading with empathy, communicating clearly, and building trust across teams will take you further than most technical skills. In complex, global environments, those qualities often matter more than anything else.

About Aisling Purcell

Aisling is a contech enthusiast with over 10 years of experience in the AECO industry. With a background in communications and content, she uses storytelling and data-driven insights to drive awareness, demand, and growth. Currently at Autodesk, she leads the EMEA marketing team for Autodesk Construction Cloud, overseeing account-based marketing, content, demand generation, and events, with a strong focus on meaningful digital transformation.

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Roberto Louback, Senior Regional Marketing Manager at AppsFlyer, shares his 17-year journey leading marketing across EMEA and LATAM. He discusses building ABM and field marketing strategies at scale, adapting to cultural and vertical nuances, balancing brand with demand, driving pipeline through measurement, leveraging AI with human creativity, and aligning cross-functional teams to maximize marketing impact.

It’s a pleasure to have you with us, Roberto. Could you share a bit about your background and your journey in marketing?

Thank you so much for the invitation! I’m Roberto Louback, and I have over 17 years of experience leading marketing strategies across the EMEA and LATAM regions. Throughout my career, I’ve worked with a diverse range of companies, from SMBs to large enterprises, spanning sectors like telecom, retail, travel, education, and the nonprofit sector. I’ve also run my own marketing consultancy and served as a guest professor in MBA programs, which has provided me with a broad perspective on both online and offline marketing disciplines. Currently, I’m a Senior Regional Marketing Manager at AppsFlyer, where my main focus is leading marketing initiatives for the company in Central Europe.

How has marketing’s role evolved in an increasingly integrated go-to-market structure?

A few years back, marketing’s primary stakeholder was sales, and the partnership between these two teams was vital for driving growth. Today, marketing’s role has expanded significantly. Collaboration is essential not just with sales but also with partnership teams that help amplify growth opportunities and with customer-facing teams that will often have valuable insights directly from our users. These insights can be valuable for marketing, product, and sales. Modern marketing sits at the crossroads of multiple teams, making collaboration and alignment indispensable.

You’ve led ABM and field marketing programs across both EMEA and LATAM. What are some cultural and business nuances you consider in these regions?

Effectively engaging these markets always starts with building genuine connections and trust, primarily through providing high-quality, relevant content. While there are certainly regional nuances, I’ve noticed the differences are often more pronounced across industry verticals rather than geographic boundaries. For example, gaming consistently emerges as a pioneer in adopting new marketing tools and channels, followed by retail and finance. Other verticals might adopt technologies more cautiously due to budget constraints or different maturity levels, but global trends eventually permeate all markets.

From a cultural standpoint, however, I can share one example: Brazil, business networking events typically occur much later in the evening, creating a more informal networking atmosphere, whereas in Central Europe, professionals prefer events scheduled during traditional working hours.

What elements are critical for marketing programs to effectively accelerate engagement and pipeline?

Measurement is foundational. Accurate data empowers marketers to make informed, strategic decisions rather than relying on intuition. Identifying signals that predict a user’s lifetime value (LTV) is particularly important. Without trustworthy measurement, scalability becomes challenging. Tools like AppsFlyer’s Performance Index offer industry benchmarks, allowing marketers to identify and optimize effective channels quickly. Additionally, continuous optimization across the entire funnel, responding to feedback, efficient onboarding, comprehensive 360-degree campaigns, and nurturing users ensures ongoing effectiveness. Creating a culture of constant optimization is essential for long term success.

How do you balance AI tools with human creativity and authenticity in marketing campaigns?

AI tools undoubtedly streamline and enhance marketing workflows. However, critical judgment remains essential. That’s why we’re also investing in training marketers to be AI-fluent, not just tool users, but critical thinkers who know how to question output, iterate quickly, and turn generative inputs into brand-aligned stories.

“Effective marketing continuously feeds both ends of the funnel, consistently generating new leads to fill the sales pipeline while simultaneously nurturing existing prospects for long-term success.”

Tell us about your most challenging marketing campaign experience so far.

One of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in my marketing career was leading MAMA (Mobile Attribution & Marketing Analytics), AppsFlyer’s flagship event. These conferences bring together over 500 attendees and involve coordination with more than 100 internal and external stakeholders. Every detail, from venue selection and speaker curation to content, branding, and guest experience, is carefully planned to deliver a strategic and memorable brand moment. I led two editions in Brazil (2022 and 2023) and supported MAMA Georgia (2023) and MAMA Africa (2025), each presenting unique challenges including cultural nuances, operational complexity, and tight timelines. Success depends on strong cross-functional collaboration, clear project management, and a consistent focus on delivering value and impact.

As a marketer, how do you balance driving short-term leads and long-term brand building?

Effective marketing continuously feeds both ends of the funnel. We must consistently generate new leads to fill the sales pipeline while simultaneously nurturing existing prospects for long-term success. At AppsFlyer, which currently holds over 65% of the global market share, our approach emphasizes pipeline acceleration more than initial lead generation due to our established market presence. Nevertheless, both activities remain integral, requiring strategic alignment to sustain long-term brand health and immediate business growth.

How do you ensure team alignment with marketing goals?

Alignment begins with clearly defining our ideal customer profiles alongside the commercial teams. Marketing then strategically targets these profiles through tailored content and events designed to attract high-quality leads. Our sales team then assesses and qualifies these leads, ensuring a streamlined approach from initial contact to closing deals. Regular communication, clearly defined KPIs, and collaborative goal-setting sessions reinforce alignment, keeping everyone informed and working cohesively towards common objectives.

Today’s marketing landscape demands an omnichannel, integrated approach driven by precise, comprehensive measurement across all customer touchpoints from mobile and web to emerging channels like CTV and retail media. AppsFlyer’s commitment to delivering connected, AI-ready, actionable data underscores this transformative shift, empowering marketers to adapt swiftly and drive impactful results in an ever-evolving digital marketing ecosystem.

About Roberto Louback

Roberto Louback is a seasoned marketing leader with over 17 years of experience, spanning startups to global enterprises across industries such as SaaS, telecom, travel, retail, and education. Currently serving as Senior Regional Marketing Manager at AppsFlyer, he specializes in ABM, field marketing, and events. Roberto has also run his marketing consultancy and frequently speaks at leading industry events, partnering with global tech brands to deliver impactful, customer-centric campaigns that support revenue growth.

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